Foot-operated lock for pedestal-tables.



0. S. BURTON.

FOOT OPERATED LOCK FOR PEDESTAL TABLES.

APPLICATION FILED 00121, 1912.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. S. BURTON.

001 OPERATED LOOK FOR. PEDESTAL TABLES. APPLIGATIONII'ILBD 001221, 1912.

1,076,662. Patented 0011.28, 1913.

TED STATES Phdltlhl'll @FFTKUFL CHARLES S. BURTON, 0F OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR T0 El /III TYDEN, 0F

HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.

FOOT-OPERATED LOOK FOR PEDEETAL-TABLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 21, 1912. Serial No. 726,853.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in FootOperated Locks for Pedestal-Tables, of which the follo-wingis a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part In the drawings: Figure 1 is a horizontal section across the pedestal of a table having a locking device embodying this invention,

the pedestal base being part broken away to disclose the operating parts of the lock. Fig. 2 is a vertical section at the line, 2-2, on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail section at the line, 3 3, on Fig. 1, showing in full line the parts at locked position and in dotted line the parts at unlocked position. Fig. a is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of the invention, the parts being shown in full line in unlocked position, and in dotted line in locked position. Fig. 5 is a section at the line 5-5 on Fig. 4;- Fig. 6 is a detail section at the line 6-6 011 Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail section at theline 7-7 on Fig. 4, showing the locked position of the parts.

In the construction shown in the drawings, l and 2 are the two parts of the pedestal which are to be drawn and locked together at the lower ends.

3 is a latch upheld by a spring, 3 oivoted upon the pedestal member, 1, guidedvice. has a rigid crank arm, 6, which is connected by a link, 7, witha longer arm, 8, of'abelh crank lover, 8-9, whose shorterarm, 9, extends across the path and direction of 6X- tent ofthe latch, 3, in position to be engaged with the hook-nose or shoulder, 3 of said latch when in the closing together of the pedestal halves the latchis thrust across said arm, 9. The bell-crank lever and said hook-nose or shoulder, 3 are positioned with respect to the meeting faces of the pod estal halves, respectively, so that said arm, 9, of the bell-crank lever becomes engaged with the latch shoulder when the pedestal halves have approached to within a short distance of each other, but before they meet at the bottom. Such engagement having occurred by the latch passing under the lever. and being lCl'OWClBCl down there by as the pedestal members approach until the end oi the arm, 9, passes over the shoulder, 8 the operator by depressing the higher end of the cross bar or pedal, 5, rocking the shaft, L, so as to throw the wrist of the crank arm, 6, down to and a little past the direct line from the rock shaft axis to the pivotal connection of the link, 7, with the bell-crank lever, 8, (see full lines in Fig. 3) causes said lever arm to be moved outward,-that is, away from the vertical plane of the rock shaft,-and the arm, 9, oil. said boll-crank lever to be moved inward,i. 6., away from the latch fulcrum, thus drawing the pedestal halves into close contact (see dotted line position in Fig. 1) and in that movement oi the rock shaft, its crank wrist having passed ;the center and a stud, 5*, on the pedal, 5, coljliding with the under end of the pedestal @becomes locked and. holds the pedestal halves fsecurely locked together. For releasing the lock to permit the pedestal halves to be sepa @rated, the operator will depress the higher end of the pedal cross bar, 5, being the op posite end from that which was depressed for the locking action, thereby rocking the shaft, 4, back to the original position.

For disengaging the latch, 8, from the end of the bell-crank lever after the drawing pressure has been relaxed by operating the pedal cross bar of the rock shaft as described, there is attached to the rock shaft a lever arm, 12, (which may be, as shown, made integral with the crank arm, 6) positioned so that in the last few degrees of At the inner end of therock shaft it Iatentcd (Jet. 28, 1913.

rocking movement of the shaft by which the crank arm, 6, is restored to its initial posi tion (approximately vertical), said lever arm comes in contact with the end of the latch, 3, which is extended beyond the shoulder, 3 far enough to reach and cross the path of movement of said lever arm, 12, and in said last few degrees of movement, the latch being free from any pressure of its shoulder against the arm, 8, of the bellcrank lever, is depressed out of engagement with said arm so that the pedestal halves may be drawn up. It will be understood that in closing the pedestal halves together, the said extended end of the latch passes under the lever arm, 12, so that the latch does not engage the lever until in the movement of thepedal for drawing and locking the pedestal halves together, the rock shaft has been rocked through the few degrees referred to, but in said few degrees the latch is relieved from the restraint of said lever, 12, and is pressed by a spring up against the lever arm, 8, which at that time stands back of the shoulder, 3 and thereby becomes engaged with the latch.

In Figs. and 5, there is shown a moditication in which, instead of connecting the bell-crank lever with the rock shaft crank arm by a link in order to accommodate the vertical component of the crankish movement in swinging between locking and unlocking position, the bell-crank lever itself is formed with a hinge joint for folding vertically,-that is, about a horizontal pivot to admit the end of the longer arm to move vertically to accommodate said vertical component of the cranks movement. In this form, the longer arm, 8, of the bell crank is hinged to the shorter arm 9, the hinge being preferably, as illustrated, located as near as convenient to the direct line from the fulcrum, 8 and the point of engagement of said shorter arm, 9*, with the latch, and the hinge axis being approximately parallel to that line. The precise relative position of the hinge with respect to the line connecting the fulcrum with the engaging point of the lever is not vital. The efiectof providing this hinge is for the main purpose equivalent to fulcruming the bell-crank lever with a universal oint,that is, so that the longer arm is free to swing both horizontally and vertically. In this construction, the curved terminal, 8*, of the longer arm of the bell-crank lever is engaged directly with the crank arm of the rock shaft, said crank arm having an eye, 6, in lieu of a crank wrist, and the terminal, 8, of the bell-crank lever bein curved, as shown, to accommodate the horizontal swinging movement of the bell-crank lever about the fulcrum of that lever, and at the same time accommodate the movement of the crank arm in the plane of its rotation. On some accounts,

this form of the device is preferable to that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In both the forms illustrated, the latch is shown at one side of the center to avoid the center leg, 10, when such leg is present; but this feature is a matter of preference, and the avoidance of the center leg can be effected in other ways.

I claim 1. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the two separable halves of the pedestal, a latch mounted upon one pedestal half below the lower end thereof and extending across the parting plane of the two halves; a lever fulcrumed on the other pedestal half and extending across the latch and adapted for engagement therewith; a rock shaft mounted on the last mentioned pedestal half, said rock shaft being provided with a pedal cross bar positioned accessibly outside the margin of the base of the pedestal, and a crank on said rock shaft operatively connected with the lever for swinging the same by the rocking of the crank shaft.

2. In a pedestal extension table in combination with two separable halves of the pedestal, a latch mounted upon one pedestal half and extending across the parting plane of the two halves; a rock shaft mounted on the other pedestal half extending in direc* tion transverse to said parting plane and provided at its outer end with a pedal cross bar for rocking it by the foot of the operator; a crank on said rock shaft; a lever fulcrumed on the same pedestal half and operatively connected with the crank, said lever having an arm extending across the latch and adapted for engagement therewith.

8. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the separable halves of the ped estal, a latch mounted on one pedestal half and extending across the parting plane; a rock shaft mounted on the other half having a pedal cross bar exposed outside thepedes tal for rocking the same by foot; a bellcrank lever fulcrumed on the pedestal half on which the rock shaft is mounted having one arm extended in position for engagement by the latch; a crank arm on the rock shaft engaged with the other arm of the bell-crank lever for actuating the lever by rocking the shaft, said bell-crank lever being formed and pivoted for vertical movement of its crank-engaged arm simultaneously with the substantially horizontal movement of the latch-engaged arm.

4. In a pedestal extension table, in combination with the separable halves of the pedestal, a latch mounted on one half and extending across the meeting plane of said halves; a rock shaft mounted on the other pedestal half having a pedal bar exposed outside the pedestal for-rocking the same by foot; a bell-crank lever fulcrumed on the pedestal half 011 which the rock shaft is mounted, having one arm extended in position for engagement by the latch; a crank arm on the rock shaft connected with the other arm of the hell-crank lever for actuating the lever by rocking the rock shaft; means for arresting the rocking of the shaft when the crank wrist pivot has passed the center, whereby the parts are automatically locked at that position, the rock shaft having a lever arm past which the latch is eX- tended, said lever arm being positioned with respect to the crank arm so as to collide with the latch in the swinging of the crank arm back to unlocked position a little before 15 the crank arm reaches the limit of said movement.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, this 10th day of October, 1912.

CHARLES S. BURTON.

Witnesses M. GERTRUDE ADY, LUoY I. STONE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0." 

